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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25923391">Wandering Inferno</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charlee422/pseuds/Charlee422'>Charlee422</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stray Kids (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bang Chan is a Sweetheart, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Childhood Friends, Childhood Trauma, Covens, Eight is Fate, Everyone Loves Yang Jeongin | I.N, Fainting, Familiars, Family, Family Feels, Fox!Jeongin, Gen, Green Witches, Han Jisung | Han is a Ray of Sunshine, Hedge Witches, Hurt/Comfort, Mentions of Death, Near Death Experiences, No Romance, No Smut, OT8, Sad Bang Chan, Seo Changbin Being an Asshole, Shy Lee Felix (Stray Kids), Squirrel!Jisung, Stabbing, Tags Contain Spoilers, Team as Family, Witches, familiar!jeongin, familiar!jisung, familiar!seungmin, kitchen witches, sound witches, witch!chan, witch!changbin, witch!hyunjin, witch!minho, wolf!seungmin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 04:07:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,808</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25923391</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charlee422/pseuds/Charlee422</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Chan is a sound witch, meaning he can see sound waves and gets easily overwhelmed by loud noises. On his way home from a weekend errand, he rescues a boy in an alley. Why was the boy being attacked? Will the boy live? This boy obviously isn't some mere human, so who is he?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Stray Kids Ensemble &amp; Stray Kids Ensemble</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>121</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Wandering Inferno</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Oops, here's a one-shot I forgot I had written half of months ago and then finished today instead of updating one of my existing stories ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ enjoy &lt;3 &lt;3</p><p>09/09/2020: UPDATED AS OT8</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Bang Christopher Chan –– Sound Witch;</p><p>Lee Minho –– Green Witch; </p><p>Seo Changbin –– Hedge Witch;</p><p>Hwang Hyunjin –– Green Witch;</p><p>Han Jisung –– Minho’s Familiar (Squirrel);</p><p>Kim Seungmin –– Hyunjin’s Familiar (Wolf);</p><p>Yang Jeongin –– Changbin's Familiar (Fennec Fox);</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jisung! If you don’t give me Gyu back right now I’m going to Minho that–” Changbin’s voice was suddenly cut off as yelled from the living room, Chan assumed that Jisung had either one: given Gyu back or two: had incapacitated Changbin so that whatever he was about to say could not be yelled loud enough for the whole apartment to hear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Chan hyung! Jisung hyung is killing Bin hyung!” Jeongin screamed in a high-pitched voice, triggering Chan to flinch from the strong vibrations before walking out of his office towards the living room, where he found Jisung climbing on Changbin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had transformed into his squirrel form and was using his small size to run all over Changbin’s body, sending the older spinning in circles as he tried to catch the pest, the stuffed animal long forgotten.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Han Jisung. You are fifteen years old. You know better than to– you know what nevermind. I’m going to the market, we need more herbs. Don’t kill each other,” Chan grabbed his jacket along with his backpack and walked out of the apartment. Sometimes, being the leader of a coven was exhausting. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chan took the elevator down to the ground floor and made his way out of their apartment building. A slight breeze swept through Chan’s thin jacket as he began to push his way through the crowded streets. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He pulled a mask out of his pocket and put it on his face, the vibrations coming off of so many strangers in one place gave him a headache. He adjusted the hood on his jacket as a rather strong gust traveled over the street, the vibrations flowed through the air, attracting Chan’s eyes as the frequencies created music that only him and a few others could hear. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He entered a small outdoor market and navigated his way through the various stalls. He pulled a list out of his pocket with a diverse range of herbs written in Minho’s handwriting. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chan collected what he needed and placed it in his bag and slowly began his voyage back to the apartment and decided to take the back alleys to avoid the crowd. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was humming quietly to himself as a way to release some of the built-up energy he had absorbed during his errand when the sound shouting assaulted his ears, it came from the alley directly next to their apartment building. He stopped in his tracks and took his hood and mask off, immediately getting hit with the strong vibrations from their heartbeats, his senses screamed danger as he took hesitant steps towards the noise, his curiosity overriding his fear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chan cautiously turned the corner and stopped frozen in his tracks due to the scene before him. Two muscular men had trapped a small boy against the wall. The boy flinched as one of the men grabbed his throat and smashed his head against the brick, a sickening smile displayed on the men’s faces as the boy grimaced in pain, his mouth open in a silent scream. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Anger swept through Chan as he continued to watch strong frequencies protrude from the boy’s chest, his heart obviously pounding ferociously. He stepped forward to gain the two men's attention but stopped when the boy burst into flames before his eyes. The man who had his hand on the boy’s throat suddenly cried out in pain, his hand cradled to his chest as he stepped away from the inferno. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chan watched with wide eyes as the fire disappeared as soon as it had arrived and the boy kicked the guy in his lower area, triggering him to crouch over in pain. The boy kneed the man in the face and he fell to the ground, dazed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other man slammed into the boy and Chan watched as the boy burst into flames once again, the fire was the same color as the boy’s hair, a fiery yet soft auburn. The boy smashed into the wall and fell to the ground unmoving when the man roundhouse kicked him in the stomach. The man still standing grinned as he placed his foot above the still boy’s neck, the intent to injure him obvious. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chan charged forward and pushed the man away from the boy. The man snarled at the witch before pulling out a switchblade. Chan’s eyes widened at the silver switchblade, it was about four inches long and recently sharpened, enough to injure anyone. Chan attempted to get the blade away from the man, but a pair of hands appeared out of nowhere and grabbed his arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The sound witch struggled in the other man’s grip but it proved futile. The man with the blade jumped forward and Chan closed his eyes in preparation for the pain, but it never came. He opened his eyes and his vision was filled with auburn hair. The hands holding his arms disappeared and the boy fell backward into Chan’s chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They both fell to the ground and Chan wrapped his arms protectively against the injured boy. The two strangers ran from the scene before Chan’s eyes could meet theirs. His muscles tensed as he prepared to chase after the two assailants but relaxed when a small hand squeezed his arm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chan turned his head down and his eyes locked with the boy’s glazed, watering ones. A frown appeared on the older’s face when the boy fell unconscious before either could talk. A wave of panic swept through the witch when his eyes were caught by a crimson liquid that poured steadily from the boy’s stomach. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He pressed his hands against the wound and looked up to where his kitchen window was on the third floor, a sigh of relief left his lips when he saw that it was open. He called out to Seungmin, who appeared moments later, his head popping out of the window for a second before disappearing again, a sign that he was coming down to them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin ran out from the side door and picked the boy up without speaking a word to the other. They made their way back into the building and miraculously got to their apartment without any witnesses. He laid the boy down onto the living room floor, the hardwood flooring instantly colored crimson by the blood. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chan kneeled down beside the unconscious boy and lifted his shirt up, revealing a large stab wound oozing with blood, the smaller boy had taken the knife for him. Seungmin ran from the room, returning a few moments later with a first aid kit and some small bottles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin pulled Chan’s hands away from the boy’s bleeding stomach and immediately began to clean the wound. Chan watched in awe as the boy’s skin was slowly stitched together and the bleeding slowed thanks to Seungmin’s precision. The wolf familiar had to be medically knowledgeable with a witch like Hyunjin. Seungmin placed a cream on the stitches before placing a beige bandage over it, the cloth adhering to the boy’s body due to the cream.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You never cease to amaze me, Minnie,” Chan whispered as Seungmin leaned back on his feet, his body leaning against the older. A thin layer of sweat covered both of them from the adrenaline, Chan could feel a migraine beginning to form as their heartbeats shook his body.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Should we move him to a bed, hyung?” Seungmin looked at the unconscious boy in front of them, Chan’s eyes followed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Changbin has an extra one in his room… he’ll probably be out for a while, he looks like he hasn’t slept well for a long time if those bags say anything,” he sighed, “if I carry him, can you go get a shirt for him… and some socks, why was he running around barefoot?” Chan shook his pounding head in concern as he picked the boy up and cradled him to his chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>––A Few Hours Later––</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Chan hyung?” Changbin called through the apartment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Bin?” Chan’s head popped up at the sound of his name being called.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why is there a boy in </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> room?” Changbin warily shouted, confusion evident in his voice. Chan stood up from his desk and made his way into the hallway, where he found Changbin leaning on the door frame of his bedroom, the door wide open as he looked out with a confused face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Umm, that’s someone I saved today?” Chan’s statement turned into a question as he leaned against the same doorway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why is he in </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> room?” The hedge witch restated with annoyance, “and why are you picking up strays again? Aren’t there enough of us to satisfy your motherly urges?” Chan rolled his eyes at Changbin’s irritation and walked into the room, his eyes trained on the boy who was on the extra bed; he laid still, his position the same as how they had left him hours prior. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chan turned around to exit the room when his ears suddenly perked, the sound of labored breathing was almost silent, surely to be missed by a regular human. Chan turned back around and trained his eyes on the unconscious boy, his eyes picking up more alarming oddities the longer he looked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy’s chest rose and fell shallowly as he struggled with each breath, his pale skin glistened with sweat against the setting sun that shone through the window. The witch took a cautious step closer to the wheezing boy and instantly put a hand up to cover his nose when the nauseating smell of blood attacked his sensitive nose.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Panic alarms rang through his head as his eyes trailed down the boy’s body and noticed the crimson liquid pouring out of it. Chan rushed towards the boy and lifted his shirt, trails of blood immediately rolled down the boy’s thin sides, staining the mattress below him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shi–Changbin, go get Minnie,” Chan demanded the younger, who immediately sprinted away from the room, leaving the sound witch alone with the young boy who was becoming paler by the second. Chan felt the wide steps of Minho coming through the apartment, reaching the room as fast as Changbin had left it, who’s lighter footsteps echoed a half step behind. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Minho pulled the cloth from the stitches and applied a new one, Chan now noticed that he had brought an entire basket of potions and creams. Chan held his breath as he watched the younger work, his pounding head blurring his vision but he pushed his problems aside to focus on the dying boy in front of him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>–––––––☆–––––––</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>––Changbin’s POV––</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>My eyes locked on the strange boy’s still frame as Seungmin and Chan worked to save him. I shook my head at my obvious staring and turned to leave the doorway, but stopped when I noticed something on my bed. It was a boy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A boy was on my bed. A child. Where the hell did he come from? The boy had tan skin and dark freckles, his cheeks full from the babyface. He looked like he was about ten years old. His frame flickered from my vision as Chan let out a curse before flickering back into view. His face was blank as he watched the situation, his legs were crisscross and his hands rested in his lap.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I walked over to my bed and plopped down next to him, his head whipped in my direction, his eyes wide with fear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, kid. I’m not gonna hurt you. Can you tell me your name?” Our eyes made brief contact before he turned to look down at his fiddling hands; he shook his head ‘no’.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay. That’s okay. Do you know how old you are?” Another no.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can you tell me anything?” Another no. I huffed at the lack of diversity in answers. Why did I have to be the Hedge Witch? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, kid. You gotta know something, spill it,” I was trying really hard not to yell at this child next to me as I knew he was watching himself die.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a moment of silence and another flicker, he raised his hand and pointed to Chan hyung.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Chan hyung?” I looked at the boy confused. What about Chan hyung? The boy shook his head and sighed in frustration in sync with Chan, it was kinda creepy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy raised his right pointer finger and began to trace the air, smoke trailed behind it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>C.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>H.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>R.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>S.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Chris? No. His name is Bang Chan, not Chris, I told you this!” My voice raised from the anger. This kid was clueless.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bin?” Chan suddenly called out from the other side of the room. Oops. I forgot they were here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, hyung?” I closed my eyes,  mentally preparing for a speech about being a distraction or being too loud or something… but it never came. I slowly opened my eyes and met Chan hyung’s, his face wasn’t pulled together by an angered expression as I thought it would have been.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you just say Chris? Who told you that name?” Chan’s face was unreadable as I looked away from him back to the child next to me, he was flickering almost every five seconds now, his life was hanging on by a thin thread.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This kid here, he called you Chris,” I pointed my thumb at the ten-year-old next to me who was now staring at Chan hyung with a sad expression, his eyes exhibiting a wisdom that I had never seen in a child his age before.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I haven’t been called Chris in a long time…” Chan hyung whispered, confusing me even more.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In my old coven, the one in Australia. My full name is Bang Christopher Chan but my coven called me Chris,” a small smile decorated hyung’s face as tears began to well in his eyes. I looked at the child next to me to see his spot empty. I looked around the room in panic before I saw his small frame walking out of the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I got him. The bleeding has been stopped. He should be okay now,” Seungmin whispered, his voice carried through the silent room. Chan turned back to the unconscious boy and gently rubbed his pale cheek with his thumb.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, you’ll be okay,” Seungmin patted the older on his shoulder, moving his hand to rub the sound witch’s back. Why couldn’t that kid talk? Why was he ten years old when he looks to be about fifteen years old? All of these questions and no answers. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>–––––––☆–––––––</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>––Chan’s POV––</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>A small pitter-patter of paws broke my thoughts and I turned around in my office chair to see a small fennec fox trotting towards me. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi, Innie, What’s up?” Jeongin jumped into my lap and curled into a ball, his nose buried in my hoodie. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>There’s a kid in the living room. He’s been staring at us awkwardly for a while now</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Jeongin’s voice rang through my head as I softly pet him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A boy? How come no one said anything to me?! I didn’t hear him! Up,” I commanded Jeongin who slipped his small frame into my hoodie pocket and I quickly stood up, my arms wrapping around Jeongin’s light frame that pressed into my stomach. My socks slipped against the hardwood flooring as I hustled into the living room, finding Jisung, Seungmin, and Changbin staring at an empty love seat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wha–” my voice cut out as a loud high-pitched noise filled my ears. I cried out and I attempted to muffle the painful noise by placing my hands over my ears. I felt arms grab me but I couldn’t tell who it was. My legs gave out and I fell into someone’s chest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The excruciating pain continued to grow until everything went dark.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>––––––☆––––––</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>––Third POV––</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The small boy’s form flickered before disappearing as the fire alarm blared throughout the apartment. Chan’s limp form was held by Jisung who had grabbed him before he could hit the ground. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seungmin, go check if it is a real fire or not, I don’t want to move Channie or the boy in Bin’s room. Bin go check on him– Jeongin stop moving. I know you are stuck, I will help you in a moment,” the wolf familiar ordered as he adjusted the sound witch in his arms, pulling the coven leader closer to his chest, triggering Jeongin – who was still in Chan’s hoodie – to fumble around and attempt to find a way out of the confining piece of clothing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin carefully set the sound witch on the nearest couch, pulling the older’s hoodie up to let Jeongin escape. The fox familiar dug his nose into the crook of the unconscious boy’s neck as Seungmin sighed out in frustration. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone in the coven hated how easily the sound witch gets overwhelmed. They know that there is no way to ease the coven leader’s pain and it kills them inside. Seeing Chan flinch at every loud noise and how his fingers start to twitch when he is beginning to get overwhelmed by the rowdiness of their apartment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin let out a small whine as Chan’s body twitched, he wasn’t seizing but his body was too full of the energy that soaked into him from the constant sound waves around him. He’d have to release it soon before it hurt him even more. Chan hated this part of him, it was the reason he had to leave his old coven in Australia.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jisung burst through the front door, it was a false alarm set off by someone using the popcorn button on their microwave, an innocent mistake. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“When are Jinnie and Minho hyungie coming back~ they’ve been gone forever,” Jisung whined as he plopped down on one of the chairs in their living room, Seungmin sitting on the arm of the chair with more precision.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s only been a few hours, did you miss hyung so much?” A new voice perked up from the still open door, Minho and Hyunjin had just arrived home.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How was the forest?” Seungmin asked as he leaned against Hyunjin’s hand, the green witch petting the slightly younger’s head. Changbin came into the living room at the same time, the boy a few feet behind him, obviously following the older.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Same as always, except the trees kept whispering about a fire but we didn’t see any ashes,” Hyunjin’s lips formed a pout as he continued to think about the forest’s strange message. The familiars and Changbin watched as the boy sat on the floor next to the couch that Chan was on, his hand hesitantly reaching out to pat the unconscious witch’s slightly twitching one. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are you looking at?” Minho asked gently as he noticed that most of the boys weren’t looking at Chan but next to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s the boy again,” Jisung whispered, as if his voice would startle the child sitting in front of them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What boy?” Minho pressed, he couldn’t see anything but he knew there had to be something there for them to be acting that way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He appeared when Seungmin and Chan hyung were saving that boy. He called Chan hyung, Chris, which hyung told me was his english name that his old coven used,” Changbin replied, eyes narrowed on the boy who popped up at the sound of Chan’s english name. The hedge witch rolled his eyes at the action and scoffed quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why are you here?! Either go back into your body or go through the veil, if you’re gonna die, just die!” Changbin pointed a finger as crouched down in front of the body, his finger close to the young boy’s chest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy’s eyes widened at the outburst before combusting into flames, transforming into black and yellow salamander. Both Seungmin and Jisung cooed at the sight of the small amphibian jumping onto the couch and hiding under Chan’s limp hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seo Changbin, that is out of line. You know better,” Minho’s harsh tone cut through the air and Changbin looked at the ground, his hands clenched to his sides as his lips pressed together in a fine line. The hedge witch turned on his heels and marched back to his room, slamming the door behind him in an act of anger, triggering several of the boys in the living room to flinch from the loud noise. Chan’s eyes fluttered open and a low groan resonated in his throat. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The sound witch lifted up a hand and pressed his fingers harshly against his forehead as his nose scrunched up. The salamander had disappeared.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Channie, you need to release the energy before it gets worse,” Minho gently pressured the younger, his tone firm leaving no room for disagreement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s… it’s gone. Did one of you do something while I was out?” Chan removed his hand from his forehead and sat up, his other hand held Jeongin against his chest to prevent the younger from falling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. Maybe the lizard did?” Jisung shrugged, he was now rubbing his cheek against Seungmin’s side despite the younger’s obvious distaste for the action.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It wasn’t a lizard, squirrel. It was obviously a fire salamander and that boy,” Seungmin rolled his eyes and pushed Jisung’s head away from him, causing the other to whine.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The boy’s a fire salamander now?” Minho spoke up for the first time since arriving back at the apartment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s probably a familiar… I’ve never heard a fire salamander familiar before, especially since they are poisonous,” Seungmin mumbled, unconsciously scratching his dull nails against the nape of his neck.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have, a long time ago,” Chan mumbled, “there were rumors about a whole herd of them in Sydney. The head coven there had them wiped out because they kept killing witches and humans alike. I found one and took it back to my coven because they weren’t poisonous… I don’t know what happened to them. They’re most likely long dead,” Chan’s voice turned grim at the realization that the familiar he saved was probably killed because he had saved him in the first place.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You both said fire salamander?” Minho popped onto the counter, his legs swinging back and forth, “I wonder if the trees were talking about a fire salamander, not a fire.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What were their exact words?” Chan turned his body so he could face the green witch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A fire passed through, extinguished from his home. Specks of ash on his surface, lighting up auburn in the sun’s rays. Looking for his keeper, small fingers held away in respect for the green he passed. The lonely inferno was tired but revered us so we aided him on his pilgrimage to the one who held the chords in his veins. Tell the holder to find the flames and he will find his cure,” Minho’s voice ended, his eyes flashing an earthy green after the message was relayed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The coven members sat in silence for several minutes, digesting the elaborate and coded words. They were startled out of their silence by a sneeze coming from Changbin’s room, followed by a loud shout of, “Gross!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is Changbin hyung talking to himself?” Hyunjin questioned as Minho jumped off the counter, triggering Chan to flinch from the loud noise.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin and Jisung made eye contact with each other before bolting from their spots, racing to Changbin’s room. The rest of the boys followed after, albeit at a much slower pace.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello! I’m Jisung! What’s your name?” Jisung crouched in front of the boy. He had reappeared and was seated next to Changbin on the older’s bed. The unconscious boy was still asleep, color returning to his cheeks and his breathing deep and even.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jisung rotated his head to the side as the small boy before him shook his head ‘no’. Seungmin laughed at the pout on the squirrel familiar’s face and the lack of answer from the boy before them. Changbin looked completely done at the entire situation, annoyance evident in his eyes but this time he held his tongue from blurting out a sharp remark.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He doesn’t talk. I’ve tried everything. All he does is spell out C-H-R-I-S in smoke. It’s starting to get on my nerves,” Seungmin patted Changbin’s knee in a mock show of sympathy, earning him a scowl from the hedge witch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What letter does your name start with?” Jisung tried again and got the same response, ‘no’.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He can tell us when he wakes up,” Seungmin flicked Jisung’s forehead, causing the squirrel to whine and complain about ‘kids disrespecting their elders’.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re really lucky hyung found you. You must have a lot of luck,” Jeongin spoke up, having transformed back into human form. The boy’s head nodded crazily at the words ‘lucky’ and ‘luck’.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is your name ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Lucky’</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Jisung perked up and smiled cheesily when the boy scowled but nodded his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s a dog name,” Hyunjin mumbled, receiving a glare from Seungmin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And english,” Seungmin commented, “what about a korean name?” The boy looked at Chris who was petting Jeongin’s head before nodding.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ooh! Ooh!” Jisung exclaimed, his hand raised in excitement, “is it Yongbok?” The boy perked up at the name and nodded his head animatedly, smiling for the first time since they had seen him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yongbok?” Minho questioned, it wasn’t a common name.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you a familiar?” Seungmin asked, fidgeting in his spot as his mind tried to dissect the mysterious boy in front of them. Another nod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where’s your witch?” Jisung asked, most of the familiars their age had long since found their witches, often born into the same coven. The boy, Yongbok, looked at Chan, his gaze steady as the sound witch remained oblivious to the staring as he pet Jeongin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Changbin, Jisung, and Seungmin gasped at the development of the mysterious boy their coven leader had rescued hours prior.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What did he say?” Hyunjin whined, feeling left out of the conversation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He said that Chan hyung is his witch. Yongbok is hyung’s familiar,” Jisung smiled when Yongbok nodded his head in agreement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That can’t be,” Chan mumbled, a frown pulling his lips down as he stopped petting Jeongin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why not?” Minho asked, a small frown on his face as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I watched Felix die. My coven killed him when we were little,” Chan’s eyes dazed as he relived those painful memories from his troubled childhood, “I felt it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hyung…” Jeongin whimpered, his eyes watery. Severing the connection between a witch and a familiar was one of the most painful experiences any mortal could go through, some even died from the pain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to tell you guys. You guys were always so hopeful about my familiar and I didn’t want to make you feel bad,” Chan mumbled, blinking away tears before they could fall. Jisung looked up from his lap and saw the spot next to Changbin empty.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s gone,” the squirrel familiar whispered, gaining the attention of only Seungmin and Changbin. The hedge witch looked up from his own lap to the still form laying on the other bed, startling when he found eyes staring back. He silently stood up, gaining the attention of the rest of the coven as he cautiously walked to the boy on the bed, sitting cross-legged on the floor at the boy’s head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi, Yongbok, I’m sorry for yelling at you, I’m glad you held on and didn’t listen to me. Would you like to meet the rest of my coven?” Changbin gave the boy an encouraging smile when the younger hesitantly nodded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The hedge witch slowly helped the smaller boy into a seated position, letting Yongbok rest his back against his chest. He pointed out each member and gave what type of witch or familiar they were, their age, and their name.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chan was introduced last and Yongbok continued to stare at the sound witch, his face expressionless as the older locked eyes with him, neither breaking contact. Chan recognized those eyes, they were scarred into his memory and plagued his dreams.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought you died…” Chan whispered as he stepped forward, muscles tensed as his knees banged against the floor in front of Yongbok, “they killed you. I watched them kill you but you’re right in front of me, I don’t understand.” The boy reached for one of Chan’s hands and grabbed it, both of his hands barely covering one of the sound witch’s.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They could never get rid of me, they just made you believe they could. The forests helped me find you, Chris,” Yongbok’s voice was completely different from his face, startling the coven.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Felix…” Chan choked out, moving to pull the boy into a hug, which the younger gratefully accepted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I found you, hyung, you don’t have to hurt anymore.”</span>
</p>
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